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"Renjun?" she whispered, her concern deepening. Renjun glared at her, his eyes sharp and cold.
"Oh my God...you're bleeding!" Aerum protested, gesturing to the cut on his lip and the dark stain spreading across his jacket.
"You need to go to a hospital, or at least let me call Mark to help-"
"No," Renjun cut her off sharply, his tone sharp.
He staggered to his feet, swaying slightly as he tried to steady himself.
"I don’t need to go to the hospital, and I don’t need your help." Aerum stood up as well, watching him with a mixture of worry and frustration.
Why is he so stubborn? She couldn’t just leave him like this, injured and alone in the middle of the night.
"Renjun, please," she said, her voice softening.
"Let me help you, I know we are not on good terms but you can’t just—"
"I said, no!" Renjun’s voice was loud and harsh, startling her into silence. He took a step back, away from her, his expression hard, face dipped in a sweat.
" Just leave me the fuck alone." The words cut deeper than she expected, and for a moment, Aerum felt a sting of tears behind her eyes.
After all, she is a girl, and a harsh tone made her cry, even though he is her enemy.....
she quickly blinked the tears away, refusing to let him see how much his rejection hurt. "Fine," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"If you don’t want my help, then I won’t force it on you." Renjun looked away, his jaw tight as if he was trying to hold back whatever emotions were boiling beneath the surface.
He reached for his helmet, but his hand was shaking, whether from pain or something else, Aerum couldn’t tell.
Without thinking, she reached into her bag and pulled out a clean handkerchief.
"At least take this," she said, holding it out to him. "For the bleeding, this looks bad..."
Renjun's dark eyes flicked to the handkerchief and then back to her face. For a long moment, it seemed like he was going to refuse again, but then, with a sigh that sounded more like resignation, he reached out and took it from her.
He pressed the handkerchief to the cut on his lip, wincing slightly as he did.
Aerum nodded, feeling a strange mix of relief. "Please, take care of yourself," she said softly, not sure what else to say.
Renjun didn’t respond. He just turned away from her, walking slowly back to his bike. The way he moved, stiff and pained, made her want to reach out to him again, but she knows better now. He didn’t want her help, and pushing him would only make things worse. She watched as he struggled to lift the bike upright, the distress clear on his face. Once he had it standing, he hesitated for a moment, as if he was considering something. But then he shook his head, put on his helmet, and mounted the bike wihout another word.
The engine roared to life, and before she could say anything more, Renjun sped off into the night, leaving her standing alone on the empty street. Aerum stayed there for a long moment, watching the spot where he had disappeared.
With a sigh, she picked up her bag and started the long walk home, her mind replaying the scene over and over. A sudden urge to understand him, to help him, to know him more filled her system, but it seemed like even if she tried, he only pushed her further away.
As she walked, the city around her seemed to grow colder; she checked her wristwatch only to frown at the figure indicating 3:27 am.
She is going to regret it in the morning, work without rest makes her frown again. "Mark bro, get ready to witness a whole new me tomorrow," she gritted her teeth both from anger and cold.
She walked and walked, the silence was deafening, and her house was still two blocks away, and she was a sleepy mess. Yawning and talking to herself is probably thinking of murdering Mark in her mind in the worst possible way.
She yawned with her mouth wide open. Suddenly, a bright white flash startled her. She quickly straightened herself and grabbed her pepper spray, ready to defend herself.
Aerum put her hand in front of her face trying to avoid the flash that could blind her, as the vehicle came closer to her, she quickly recognized it, removing her hand from her face, she realized it was the same bike as Renjun, and as he came closer she realized it was indeed him.
Renjun slowed his bike to a stop beside her, the engine’s low rumble the only sound breaking the eerie silence of the night. He didn’t say anything at first, just looked ahead at him with that same cold, unreadable expression, his eyes dark and intense under the streetlights.
"Get on," he said finally, his voice flat.
Aerum blinked, surprised by the unexpected offer. " Huh..?" Renjun turned his face to her, giving her a look.
"I... I’m almost home," she started to say, trying to muster up a polite rejection.
"Just, get on." His voice was even colder this time, She hesitated, shaking her head. "No, it’s okay. I can walk-"
"Aerum." His voice cut through her protest. "Your house is two blocks away from here"
" I can still walk; it's not a big deal for me. Also, I don't need your help." she straightened herself and talked in the same tone as him, ready to take a step towards her home.
Renjun’s gaze hardened, his patience clearly wearing thin, as he reached out to her arm, pulling her to himself, almost as close as she could feel his breath, eyes staring at him in pure shock. Her heart skipped a beat as she found him so close to her liking, and for the first time, she realized how handsome he looked under the moonlight.
"Since the day I saw you, you have been testing my patience"
